Cooking all these chicken dishes and stock as I have been in this Covid-19 winter 2020, reminded me of some happier times and our visit to Bresse, the home of the famous Bresse chicken, la volaille de Bresse, and the Monday market day in the market town of Louhans in Burgundy. The summer of 2017 [...]
Way back in 1957, Bresse chickens were the first food and the first chickens to be awarded the AOC, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and more recently, they received the AOP, Appellation d'Origine Protégée, accreditation. This AOP label is the European Union version of France's AOC, Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. It basically means the products with these labels [...]
The Burgundian Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon share many similarities. They are both regional Burgundian specialities, they both showcase the famous Burgundian wines, Bresse chickens, pork and Charolais beef. Their method of cookery is very similar as well. When this dish is cooked with one of these Burgundian wines it takes the name of [...]
In France, on our Betty B barge, I frequently cooked a simple coq au vin as it was easy to manage in my small barge galley kitchen, the ingredients readily available and it can be made ahead the day before and reheated. I always tried to cook it in one pot! In France they have [...]
This is a flavoursome classic Burgundian dish, with red wine playing a major role in the flavour, along with lardons, button mushrooms and tiny onions. The flavour of this dish, like many others, improves when the dish is refrigerated and served the next day. It is traditionally cooked on the stove-top, however, you can also [...]
Spatchcocking a chicken simply means to remove the backbone or to butterfly the chicken. It is an easy and quick way to roast your chickens and the result is crispy, golden skin and very juicy and tender breast and flesh. You will always roast your chicken like this from now on... Serves 2 – 3 [...]
This was a great chicken curry with good depth of flavour and superb colour. It was quick and easy to cook in the wok, so just one pan to wash. Inspired by what my friend Leigh, from Hamilton in country Victoria, cooked the other day I had to make something similar; she makes great curries! [...]
Famous food writer, Waverley Root, writing the Time Life series, ‘The cooking of Italy’ mentions this soup as one of the Roman’s favourite dishes. He explains, ‘Stracciatella’ means little rags as the soup is made of the liquid batter of the eggs and grated Parmigiano Reggiano being poured into the hot stock. The egg breaks [...]
